Rotary drilling apparatus



. R m m m I c. H. HERMAN ROTARY DRILLING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 10, 1925 By .H-Her2wm I V 'ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES CHARLES H. HERMAN, OF OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA.

ROTARY DRILLING APPARATUS.

Application filed October 10, 1923. Serial No. 667,721.

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. HERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oklahoma City, in the county of Oklahoma and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in R0- tary Drilling Apparatus, of which the following is'a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements il'Jl rotary drilling apparatus and more partiedlarly to improvements in the manner or mounting and operating the drilling tool.

An important object of the invention is to provide means whereby a succession of hammer-like blows can be impartedto the.

bit during its rotation.

-A further object of the invention is to provide means for applying such blows to the bit operated by the water fed to the bit during the process of drilling.

A still further object of the invention is I to provide a device of this character which may be very readily constructed, strong and durable in service and a general improvement in the art.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional viewthrough a. rotary well drilling apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken at right angles to the view in Figure 1 and showing the operating mechanism at the upper end of the shoe;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 1; ahd Figure 4 is a detail elevation of the lower end of the drill shoe showingthe coupling between the shoe and the drill support. 7

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a drill pipe, 11 a drilling shoe in the form of a cylinder held in assembled relation by means of clamping rings or collars 13 and 14. The body of the cylinder is formed of two semi-cylindrical casing sections 15 and 16. At their upper end each of these casing sections has secured thereto one-half of a tubular plug 17. This plug is formed at its upper end with a reduced threaded extension 18 for engagement with the lower end of the drill pipe and has the exterior of its body screw-threaded for engagement by the clamping ring or collar 13.

At its lower end each casing section 15 and 16 has secured thereto one-half of a tool mount guide 19, each'half of which has formed therein a'notch 20 for receiving a shoulder 21 upon the tool support 22. These sections further combine to form a central bore receiving a stem 23 of the tool support. This stem has at its upper end an enlarge'd head 24 which, during suspension of the tool in spaced relation to the ground, serves to limit downward movement of the tool head while the shoulders 21 by their engagement in the notches prevent relative rotation of the tool support and tool 25 during the actual drilling operation. .The tool 25 can be of anytype suitable to the ground in which the drilling is being done. It will be seen that the tool is mounted so that it may reciprocate with its support-with relation to the shoe 11 but is at all times held against rotation with relation to this shoe.

Mounted in the casing forming the body of the shoe immediately below the plug 17 is a water wheel casing 26 having an inlet communicating directly with the bore 27 of the plug 17 and an outlet 28 conducting water from the casing so that it may be fed tothe drill. lVithin the casing is mounted a water wheel 29, the shaft 30 of which has its ends journaled in bearings 31 formed upon the sections 15and 16 of the casing. Immediately below the shaft 30 a second shaft 32 is similarly mounted, this shaft being provided centrally with an interrupted pinion 33. The shafts 31 and 32 have "a sprocket and chain connection, indicated at St, so that upon rotation of the shaft 31 the shaft 32 will be rotated. Mounted within the main body of the casing at the lower end thereof and normally resting upon the head 24 of the tool support 22 is a weight or operating plunger 35 having connected thereto a rack 36 adapted for intermittentengagement by the teeth of the pinion 33.

It will be seen that during the operation of the drill, the neck 23' being longer than the space in which it operates and thetool 25 supporting the weight of the casing. the enlarged head 24 will be spaced above the upper end of the guide 19. his well-known that during the operation of a rotary drill water is fed through pumps generating pressure of about eight-hundred pounds to llti the square inch for the purpose of washing cuttin v.from the drill upwardly through the bore tobe'discharged upon the ground. By the construction emplo ed the water passing 7 to the drill is 'rected through the water wheel 29 operating the same with the result that the shaft 32 is rotated and the teeth of the pinion 33 intermittently engage the rack 36 elevating the same together with the weight 35 and then releasing the same so that the weight moves downwardly by gravity. its downward movement it will partially engage the upper end of the drill support thus applying to the drill intermittent blows which have a tendency to force the teeth .of the drill proper into engagement with the substance being drilled, thus resulting in a speeding up of the drilling operation. It will be obvious that the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of a consider able range of change and modification without in any manner departing from the spirit of my invention and I accordingly do not limit myself to such specific structure except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim In a rotary drill, a drilling shoe, a drill connected with the shoe for rotation therewith, said connection permitting reciprocation of the drill, means for feeding water to the drill, means within the shoe and operated by the feed of water to the drill for applying intermittent blows to the drill, including a weight reciprocable within the shoe and in its lowermost position operatively engagingsaid drill, a rack connected with the weight, a water motor within the shoe and operated by the water fed to the drill, and a connection between said water motor and rack including an interrupted inion coacting with said rack and rotated y the water motor.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

CHARLES H. HERMAN. 

